DATA COLLECTION

Primary Vs. Secondary Data

Primary data is originated by a researcher for the specific purpose of addressing the problem at hand
Eg Census data collected by the government in the country Secondary data is the data that have already been collected for purposes other than the problem at hand. These data can be located quickly and inexpensively.

Comparison
Collection purpose Collection Very involved process Collection cost High Collection time Long Primary Data Secondary Data For the problem at For other problems hand Rapid & easy Relatively low Short

Primary Data Collection Methods

Observation Method Personal Interview Telephone Interview

Mail Survey

Observation Method
Investigator will collect the data through personal observation This method helps to capture the behavior of the customers directly Eg. Investigator directly observes the machines and the man working over there Eg. Continuous monitoring of stock exchange and share price index

Personal Interview
PI is a survey method of data collection which employs a questionnaire Components of PI are researcher , interviewer , interviewee , interview environment Door-to-Door Interviewing (interviewer goes to residence of each selected respondent ) In depth survey which is time consuming and costly Executive Interviewing (in this interviewees are industrial executives and involve industrial goods) Waiting time at the offices is high as executives are busy

CONTD.
Mall Intercept Interview (conducted in shopping complexes where diverse customers are there) Since we are stationed at one place so it is less costly and quick process Self-Administered Interview (respondents are issued questionnaire and they will be asked to fill on their own) Advantage of removing interviewers biasness Absence of interviewer will make respondent to assume some responses

CONTD.
Purchase Intercept Technique (direct interviewing in which the customers will be intercepted and interviewed after they select items from the showroom) Enable the buyers to have better recall Sampling is restricted to the buyers who complete the selection process

Telephone Interview
Telephone interview is cost effective because : Travel time is eliminated Cost of travel is also eliminated Greater possibility of reaching the customers all over the geography Total time of conducting the interview is least Disadvantages : Impossible to employ visual aids Exclusion of population who are not having phone connections Rapport between the interviewer and interviewee

CONTD.
Selection of Telephone numbers : Telephone directory Random digit dialing Systematic random digit dialing Plus One dialing (Required numbers of telephone numbers are generated then the constant 1 is added to the last digit or digits to develop a new sample frame )

Mail Survey
In this method of data collection questionnaires are mailed to potential respondents who in turn fill and return them Less cost of data collection Less time , wider coverage & better accuracy Absence of interviewer biasness Identity of the respondent is not known Some respondents may return unfilled questionnaires Questionnaires may be filled by somebody else Delay on the part of reply

Mail Includes
Type of envelope Mode of postage Designing covering letter Deciding questionnaire length , content , layout Notification and follow up Type of incentive , if any , to be given to respondent

Classification of Secondary Data

Secondary Data

Internal

External

Ready to Use

Requires Further Processing

Published Materials

Computerized Databases

Syndicated Services

Internal Secondary Data

Sales by product line Sales by major department (e.g., men's wear, house wares) Sales by specific stores Sales by geographical region Sales by cash versus credit purchases Sales in specific time periods Sales by size of purchase

External Data: 1. Published Secondary Sources

Published Secondary Data

General Business Sources

Government Sources

Guides

Directories

Indexes

Statistical Data

Census Data

Other Government Publications

External Data: 2. Computerized Databases

Computerized Databases

Online

Internet

Off-Line

Bibliographic Databases

Numeric Databases

Full-Text Databases

Directory Databases

SpecialPurpose Databases

Classification of Computerized Databases

Bibliographic databases are composed of citations to articles
Numeric databases contain numerical and statistical information Full-text databases contain the complete text of the source documents comprising the database Directory databases provide information on individuals, organizations, and services Special-purpose databases provide specialized information

External Data: 3. Syndicated Services

Companies that collect and sell common pools of data of known commercial value designed to serve a number of clients Classified based on the unit of measurement (households/consumers or institutions)